Buick Regal

Comments

My car is a program vehicle less than a year old. Ran the Carfax and found the date it was purchased by the rental agency. I saved $9,000 over buying new and purchased the GM extended warranty which still saved me money. I checked out the Camry (felt like a cheap bucket of bolts), Maxima (back end uglier than cow S---) and they complain about Buick's conservative styling... ha,ha,ha.

BTW, the new Camry (59 miles on odometer) I test drove broke down and had to be towed back to the dealership (LOL). Something in the fuel system shut down.

There are lemons in every car dealers inventory whether new or used. I'm not trying to bash other makes, just posting my personal observations :-) Bottom line, buy what you like and enjoy it :-)

1987 Toyota Corolla I bought new. After warranty ended I got the true picture... $295 starter, $350 radiator (upper hose connection broke), new front exhaust pipe every other year at $195 a pop. Back up light switch on the auto transmission quit working... Toyota wanted $500 to replace the switch... I laughed at the service manager when he tried to set up an appointment for that one (LOL). I still can't believe I actually gave in to test driving another Toyota. BTW, a starter for my other car (91 Olds) cost a whopping $125 to replace out of warranty. No wonder Toyota owners only keep them a year or two. Not bashing Toyota, just had lousy luck with one. Your experiences may vary :-)

I've owned both and... For the same content [6 cyl, auto air, premium tunes, leather, etc.] you're looking at about $5K more for the Camry, real world prices. Of course, the Camry is put together very neatly [no 1/2 inch gaps between body panels like they do in Oshawa every day]. But, no stainless exhaust or steel timing chain, either. A motor that will run about twice as long, though. Not so the auto trans. Very expensive service, and you need lots of it, just for routine stuff. My Regal came with ZERO defects, enough standard goodies to fill a Caddy, and gas and service bills that were real gentle. Bottom line for me - go with the Regal [I love the way the car DRIVES], but don't keep it too long.

Now that I've found the conservative car styling that I like, I hope Buick remains somewhat conservative in their designs... at least more so than that ugly Maxima rear end and those tail light lenses that they seem to have stolen off of the new Beetle.

Nothing against our terrific 3.8 six [a Buick design, BTW]. I refer to several of my Camry'd friends whose fours routinely run past 250K miles [while expensively replacing plenty of exhausts, brakes, struts, springs, trannys and timing belts]; I would like to believe Buicks can do at least as well. Anybody out there with a line on current Regal model longevity? And, yes, I'm buying my second current model Regal.

I think they are only called mudflaps on trucks... I believe on a Buick they would be called splashguards... I'm sure you can find a GM Accessory set from your local dealer (they might have to order though).

Verdi942, as far as I know the Regal will be redone for 2004.

Evize, my brother put a set of Dunlop SP Sport A2's on a 97 Lumina and he's pretty satisfied. However, he isn't in to cars that much. That said, they must not have any annoying habits or I imagine he would at least notice that. They seem like a good all-season sport tire. They seem to have decent treadwear indexes and performance. Plus, they aren't too expensive.

Lotech1, if you want a preview of Buick's styling, check out the 2003 Ultra. You can find picts on Buick's website. I think bringing back portholes has some potential, and I like the way they put them on the Regal GNX show-car. However, the Ultra does not look right with those particular portholes in my opinion. The down-angled chrome tips and racy wheels seem a bit out of place on a Park Avenue... Just my opinion, though.

Trying to decide if buying a 99 Regal LS with 22,000 miles in mint condition from a Buick Dealer for $14,500 is a better decision than buying a 2002 Saturn L200 with 0% A.P.R. for $19,500. Please help. We have a good history with buying Buicks from this dealer (9 to be exact). Also is it worth buying an extended warranty?

Any Buick with any Saturn, that is. My '99 LS, with 36K, has been a great car. It should be considered the benchmark to which all other sedans are compared. But, you already know how good Buicks are. Bargain hard for the extended warranty, though; the first big repair will pay for it; the reliability has to be at least as good as the Saturn. Heck, you can get 0% on an '02 Regal with a TMV not far north of that $19K Saturn, anyway. Good Luck!

Rear seats are not condusive to rear facing Child seats, unless you have short legs, cause you have to move your seat way forward. (our Neon had more rear seat space! yep)

Now if all this doesn't bother you, it's a great car, fast, torquey, great drive train and suspension. Steering is a bit loose, feels hard to control at fast acceleration and higher speeds, I think the Pontiac has better steering system in the GTP.

Very comfortable seats, good for long drives, great stereo, and lighted controls on steering wheel was smart.

I have a 2002 Maxima SE, I would SERIOUSLY consider this car, same price range, holds value better, it was my second choice in 98, should have bought it. Seems much more solid inside, better leather, roomier back seat area. Heated seats and steering wheel optional, LSD optional, Xenon headlamps std. Comparible handling, more power, avaialable 6 speed (which I got)

Paid $25,000 for the Buick, got $16,000 on trade 18 mos later! Wow. That sucked too! If you buy it, keep for 10 years, mechanically it will last just fine, the 3800 SC'd Pushrod motor? You just can't kill it.

I gladly sacrificed the back seat leg room for the extra deep trunk. I have young children so it works out great for me in that I can load the trunk for vacations. If I were shopping for rear seat leg room a LeSabre or Bonneville would be better.

I looked at the Impala and drove a used one. I noticed more road noise from the tires. Chevy dealer wouldn't deal with me so I went across the street and bought the Regal from the Olds guys. Impala priced $2k higher than the Regal with about the same options and more miles. Both were program vehicles. This same Chevy dealer had a same year Regal LS priced $2k more than the Olds dealer also with more miles.

Has anyone had any trouble with their ignition key not returning to the off position so you cannot remove the key? My car has been doing this intermittently and I just dropped it off at the dealer this morning. Of coarse it worked fine when I dropped it off. Just woundering if anyone else has had this problem and what had to be done to fix it.

Had the same problem couple of times with different cars, when the gear was not put on "Park" precisely. Everything worked right after switching gears forth and back. Possible the interlock in your car is not in perfect condition.

Had the opposite problem once: could not turn the key "On" in the morning.

Called GM assistance, and they sent the AAA tow track. The truck driver / mechanic fixed it by shaking the steering wheel. I tried it myself, but was afraid to do it strong enough. The mechanic, a very strong guy, with big hands, shaked it violently, and everything vas fixed.

Our driveway is sloped, and we are turning the weels to side as extra precation when parking. Just in case, for the cars not to run on the street.

The mechanic explained, that the steering was locked by the car weight with power down. Cannot turn them without power steering, but cannot start with steering locked. Catch 22.

We have to turn the wheels when parking on slope, but never turn to the limit...

Plug is easy. I highly recommned installing a change valve either from Fram (found at many auto parts stores ) or Fumoto www.fomotovalve.com. I have fumotos on all my cars, makes changing oil much easier

Filter, a little harder to get to but not bad, ramps make it relatively easy.

Has anyone replaced the struts with heavier components, such as KYB, Monroe, Koni, etc.? I bought a used 2002 with 16,200 mi. and it needs some damping help. I immediately replaced the FR680 cardboard tires with Yokohama Avid S/T 235x60x15, fit just fine and they are as different as night and day--yes, better. Best of all the Avids were $215 complete including delivery from Tire Rack. This is an excellent car, it could be 4 or 5 inches longer to give it a little more rear leg/trunk room but otherwise a lot for the money, plus the Buick name and its relative invisibility. Thanks for any suggestions or shared experiences. --Nickatnight

In my area they are advertising new 2002 LS for $18800, appx $5000 off sticker. That is the price leader with no options; all the other LS on the lot had a $700 package with auto climate control etc. but dealer said he would give equivalent deal on those. In my opinion you cannot beat this deal with a stick. Try Crain Automotive in Conway AR if you're not too far away, but surely other dealers in the USA have the same incentive $$. Rotsa Rukk.